We always had cranberries at Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners. Mom used the whole cranberries that you served with a spoon.
One time on the Sunday after Thanksgiving Thursday, our parents, my three younger brothers and I were invited to a dinner in a nearby larger town. We were prompted on the way there (or threatened) to be on our best behavior or else — we never tested that “or else.â€
This strange looking dish came past with red slices of something on it that quivered when shook, and we all four said “no thanks†and passed it on. Oh, but no. Mom said “oh you all love that†and proceeded to plop a piece on our plate.
That is when the trouble started. We rolled it, we slapped it and finally mashed it, leaving the prettiest design ever.
On the way home, we were told that it was canned cranberry sauce. To this very day I have a can of cranberry sauce waiting to be opened, sliced and served on the holiday table. As I look across my kitchen this morning at my can of sauce, I think of Mom standing in her bib apron, smiling and saying, “what did you all think was on that plate?â€
The reporter came out of me at an early age, so I said, “Jimmy said it was liver, Ollie said it was brains, Richard said it was jello and I said I would investigate.â€
GREEN BEANS WITH BACON4 diced bacon strips, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 8 cups fresh green beans (trimmed), water, salt and pepper.
This is tasty, quick and easy. In a large skillet, cook bacon strips with chopped onion until the bacon is crisp. Meanwhile place green beans in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain well and add the bacon mixture. Sprinkle top with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Serve immediately. This recipe is not the one grandmother or mom made but is great too. Give it a try.
SWEET POTATO N’ MARSHMALLOW1 can sweet potatoes, 1 egg, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 1/4 tsp vanilla, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, 1/3 stick margarine, large bag of marshmallows.
For a Small casserole dish size, mix together well with an electric mixer: sweet potatoes, egg, sugar, vanilla, evaporated milk and margarine. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with marshmallows and return to the oven just until the marshmallows turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let set for a while before serving.
CORNBREAD DRESSING WITH OYSTERS2 tbsps unsalted butter (plus more for greasing the dish), 1 yellow onion (diced), 3 stalks celery (diced), 5 cloves garlic (minced), 8 cups crumbled cornbread, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, 3 1/2 cups chicken stock, 6 large eggs, 1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley, 1 bunch fresh tarragon (leaves stripped and chopped), 2 cups shucked oysters with their juice.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is foamy, add the onion and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Stir in the crumbled cornbread and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, then remove from the heat. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. Whisk in the chicken stock, parsley and tarragon. Stir in the cornbread mixture and the oysters. Pour the dressing mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake until the dressing is set and golden brown, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, cover and refrigerate overnight before baking.) Let rest for 5 minutes.
GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE2 cans green beans, 1 can golden mushroom soup, half a can of water, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, one can fried onions.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together green beans with golden mushroom soup, water and cheese. Lightly mix and transfer to a two-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle top with fried onions. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes until bubbly.
ASPARAGUS CASSEROLEThis goes great with baked ham. In a buttered casserole dish place a layer of asparagus and then a layer of crumbled cheese nips crackers. Wet with cream of mushroom soup mixed with water according to directions on the can. Finish the casserole with a few more crushed cheese nips. Bake in a 350-degree oven until asparagus is tender.
OLD FASHIONED BREAD DRESSING1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion, 1/3 cup butter, 1 1/2 cups chopped celery, 8 cups dry small bread cubes, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning, 1/2 tsp sage, 1/4 cup water, 1 beaten egg.
In a skillet, cook chopped onion in butter with chopped celery until tender. Add this mixture to bread cubes, which have been placed in a large pan. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, poultry seasoning and sage, and combine well. Add water and beaten egg. Toss together with a fork. Stuff a thawed bird immediately and bake according to directions on the turkey label.
ITALIAN GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE6 ounces parmesan cheese (grated), 1 1/4 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs, 4 garlic cloves (minced), 1 tsp kosher salt, 3/4 tsp black pepper (divided), 3 (28-oz.) cans Italian-style green beans (drained), 2 (9-oz.) packages frozen artichoke hearts (thawed, drained well and chopped), 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine parmesan, breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Reserve 1/3 cup of the breadcrumb mixture then set aside. Add green beans, artichoke hearts, and olive oil to bowl with remaining breadcrumb mixture, and fold to combine well. Pour green bean mixture into a lightly greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle reserved breadcrumb mixture evenly over the casserole. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until lightly golden and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp pepper, and if desired, chopped parsley.
HONEY SPICE BREAD2/3 cup packed brown sugar, 1/3 cup 2% milk, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 tsps baking powder, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 2 large eggs (room temperature), 1/2 cup honey, 1/3 cup canola oil. GLAZE: 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 tsps 2% milk.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and milk. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. In another bowl, whisk eggs, honey, oil and brown sugar mixture until blended. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Transfer the batter to a greased 8-by-4-inch loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (cover top loosely with foil if needed to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. In a small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth, drizzle over bread.
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